Texas is about to gerrymander five new house seats, and California is ready to retaliate. Gov. Gavin Newsom says that his state will also redraw its congressional maps to create five new districts, effectively fighting fire with fire.

Laurel Rosenhall, who covers California’s government and politics, discusses whether the state’s voters will actually go for this plan, whether it’ll work if they do, and what is at stake either way.

Guest: Laurel Rosenhall, a New York Times reporter covering California politics and government.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers moved quickly to create new districts that could help their party flip five congressional seats.
• The Texas House approved a congressional map intended to help Republicans win five more U.S. House seats.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters

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Warning: This episode contains strong language.

In President Trump’s second term, Laura Loomer has emerged as the most influential outside adviser, telling the president whom to fire and shaping major policy decisions.

Ken Bensinger, who covers media and politics, explains how a social media provocateur became Mr. Trump’s favorite blunt instrument.

Guest: Ken Bensinger, a New York Times reporter covering media and politics.

Background reading: 

• Ms. Loomer is Mr. Trump’s blunt instrument.
• Her role in firings at the National Security Council showed a rising sway of fringe figures on the president.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Greg Kahn for The New York Times

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Across the country, public schools are facing steep declines in enrollment, while the movement to use public funds for private education grows.

Dana Goldstein, who covers education and families for The New York Times, explains why so many parents are using taxpayer money to privately educate their children — and what this means for American education.

Guest: Dana Goldstein, a reporter covering education and families for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• A decline in the number of children and rise in the number of choices has created a crisis for public schools.
• In July, Congress approved the first national school voucher plan, helping to pay for private education.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Zack Wittman for The New York Times

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European leaders raced to Washington to show their support for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as he met with President Trump on Monday.

It was their first face-to-face meeting at the White House since their disastrous blowup in the Oval Office in February.

Michael Schwirtz, who covers global intelligence, explains how and why Mr. Zelensky’s approach has changed.

Guest: Michael Schwirtz, the global intelligence correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Can Mr. Zelensky trust Mr. Trump? Ukraine’s fate may depend on the answer.
• Mr. Zelensky and other European leaders have learned a thing or two about negotiating with Mr. Trump.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

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From Iowa to New York, Republican members of Congress have struggled to answer constituents’ tough questions about their party’s agenda, with several town hall meetings turning angry and going viral.

Republican leaders have told lawmakers to stop holding them all together.

Representative Mike Flood of Nebraska has ignored that advice. The congressman speaks about the disappearance of an American political tradition and why he thinks it is worth preserving.

Guest: Representative Mike Flood, Republican of Nebraska

Background reading: 

• Representative Flood faced his hometown voters. It wasn’t pretty.
• From March: Republican House members were told to stop holding in-person town halls.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Scott Morgan/Reuters

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Sam Graham-Felsen never imagined being lonely. Throughout his childhood and as a young man his life revolved around his friends. But when Sam got married and then had kids, going out with his friends almost felt like a luxury. After years of focusing on everything in his life except friendship, Sam began to realize he was missing something essential, and he decided to get his friends back.

On this episode of “Modern Love,” Mr. Graham-Felsen describes how he went from being a boy with a wealth of deep friendships to finding himself feeling lonely as an adult, and what he did to bring friendship back into his life.

Read his essay “Where Have All My Deep Male Friendships Gone?” in The New York Times Magazine.

Find new episodes of Modern Love every Wednesday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts: 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The world-renowned negotiator on our “dealmaker in chief” and the benefit of approaching life as a deal waiting to be made.

• Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]
• Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast
• For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview

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Today, President Trump and the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, are meeting on U.S. soil for the first time, to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.

David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the wide range of possible outcomes and why, no matter what happens, the meeting is a win for Mr. Putin. 

Guest: David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Mr. Trump said he was going to the meeting to see what Mr. Putin “has in mind.”
• The U.S. president is pushing to end the war in Ukraine, but analysts say the Russian leader could turn a hastily planned meeting to his advantage.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

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Warning: This episode contains strong language.

This summer, The New York Times put out a list of the top 100 movies of the past 25 years. It prompted furious debate about what movies stand the test of time, why they matter and what those movies tell us about ourselves.

Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter for The Times, discusses how the list came to be, and actors and directors including Celine Song, Molly Ringwald and Ebon Moss-Bachrach speak about their votes.

Guest: Kyle Buchanan, who is a pop culture reporter and serves as The Projectionist, the awards season columnist for The New York Times.

Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube.

Background reading: 

• Read the list of the 100 best movies of the 21st century so far.
• Here’s how The Times decided on the list.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com, via Associated Press

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Over the past few weeks, the most senior intelligence officials in the federal government have released a series of new documents which they claim shows that, starting in 2016, President Barack Obama and his deputies carried out a criminal conspiracy against President Trump.

Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains what’s behind the sudden re-emergence on the Trump-Russia saga, and what happens when heads of the C.I.A., F.B.I. and Justice Department all turn their attention to the president’s domestic enemies.

Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washington.

Background reading: 

• In targeting Mr. Obama, Mr. Trump’s retribution campaign has taken another turn.
• A spokesman for Mr. Obama said that Mr. Trump’s accusations were ”ridiculous” and “weak.”

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.